


Madness Most Discreet

by pianissimoplum



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medical, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Drama & Romance, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Pining, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-06 19:57:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13418541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pianissimoplum/pseuds/pianissimoplum
Summary: Byun Baekhyun has a soulmate, letters gold and taunting.Doh Kyungsoo had one.





	1. A choking gall

**Author's Note:**

> Belated happy birthday squishy-soo! I kept thinking about this during my revision sessions a while back and even during the time I had to sit for my exams.

It was so loud. People were talking over each other, orders shouted across the ER as patients came in continuously. It was a five car pileup and all the victims were brought to this very spot.  
This was his first day too, and what a baptism of fire it was, hands steadily pumping on someone’s bare chest for the last 30 minutes.

If there was one memory he would never forget, it was the moment the pale blue soulmate mark on this patient’s chest turned black. Gone forever.

Byun Baekhyun wakes up drenched in sweat, sheets half tangled in his legs and dangling on the floor. Recently his soulmate related dreams were getting frequent as of late.  
Half of him wants to bury back into the sheets but his morning alarm rings and it was time to start another day.

 

 

—

 

It has been his second month in this new hospital after coming back from his fellowship. Generally, it wasn’t as hectic as he anticipated, there hasn’t been a single transplant since he started. Although, that was soon about to change according to his senior, Kim Heechul, as the transplant surgeon who trained in Japan was returning this week and he was going to have to catch up on his census.

“Radio consultant to OR please. Radio consultant to OR please.”

Heechul gives Baekhyun the most not-sympathetic look ever. As the youngest consultant, all the scut duties, were his.

“Good luck, I heard tiny terror is back.”

 

—

 

One of the nurses greet him by name and a wan smile.

“Good morning Dr. Byun. Harvest at OR 9. Motorcycle accident. Renal and liver.”

This is what he had trained for across the world, for self actualization and a bid to forget. No matter what changes, he would still have this. His fingers pull on the band on his left hand, wrapped across his wrist covering the name he’d rather not see again soon.

Halfway into the scan, with other arm reaching across the patient’s abdomen, the door roughly swings open and a figure in scrubs and scowl walks to stop just beside him.

“I’m sorry but where is your consultant? This is a transplant donor and I’d really like to save time. I can’t have an intern or a resident doing a pre-scan. Or are you a lab tech?”

It wasn’t really the first time someone mistook him for an intern, sometimes even a med student since his youthful looks and disposition make him younger than he really was. But no one has ever said it in derision.

Byun Baekhyun smirks, looks at the person up and down.

“Oh you must be tiny terror. I’m Dr Byun. New JCon from Radiology.”

The man’s face turn into a funny ash color before he regains his bearings. With one eyebrow twitching, he grunts before marching out of the door.

The OR nurses’ laughter echo through the hallways.

This was his first time meeting Dr. Doh Kyungsoo, head of transplant. It really could have gone worse.

 

 

—-

He was actually told by the giggling nurses after their first meeting that Doh Kyungsoo outside of the OR was usually polite and barely strings a sentence together unless necessary. Inside the OR however, where the tensions are really high, he transforms into a very domineering aggressive and usually angry person, hence the nickname.

Well Baekhyun couldn’t care less.

Well it really could have gone worse. It was actually worse.

The number of cases and referrals the first week following their first meeting was almost half of his entire caseload the previous month.

By nature, Baekhyun is very chatty, and has managed to befriend the staff nurses, aides and custodians in the OR when he first started working. Though he is generally pleasant, the only things he has said to Kyungsoo comprise of values, arteries, veins, congested, “no you can’t take it, it’s got four arteries and two are below the IMA take off” and "you’re gonna need a bigger liver for that guy, you might want to do a volumetry for this”.

Contrary to his expectations of the latter two situations degenerating into screaming matches, Kyungsoo just nods, scrunches his eyebrows together and takes the chart to disappear into the horizon.

Despite trying not to talk to one another outside of what professionalism calls, they do manage to work harmoniously together.

Baekhyun pretends to not know that the OR staff has taken to calling him and Dr Doh “tiny tandem” behind their backs. Really, they weren’t actually short, but the rest of the medical staff were blessed vertically, so there’s that.

And to the credit of the staff, he never really runs out of food these days as usually, coffee and a take away box with his name on it is waiting for him in the OR lounge on the days he gets called in.

Oddly enough, on days that Heechul is scheduled to take the OR calls, few if any transplant requests come in.

This fragile volatile cease fire comes to head on the third week of their acquaintance.

 

—-

 

As with all bad days, it begins from the moment he wakes up. Wakes up an hour late, missing breakfast and settling for quick shower, and thereafter accidentally leaving his wrist band.  
It wasn’t like this years ago, when he was proud to show his hand, with gold letters forming the name of his soulmate, etched into the smooth skin over his pulse point.

In the present, he has half a mind to snip one of the ties of the patient’s gown and wrap it over his wrist in an attempt to block out his name. This almost comes to fruition when one of the receptionists at the department lobby catches sight of his mark and waxes poetic how romantic it must be to have met ones soulmate.

Baekhyun wants to scream and tries to tighten the strap of his newly procured watch (adorned, of all things with penguins, from the souvenir shop at the lobby) against the mark. He smiles instead. As long as there was no OR call, he won’t have to take the watch off.

An hour later he gets called into the ward for pre-transplant evaluation.

 

\-- 

The patient was obese, bed ridden and hooked to an HD. His golden soulmate mark is on his neck, exposed by the low gap of his gown were several wires were crisscrossing.

“Hello, Mr Lee, I’m Dr Byun from Radio. I’ll be doing your pre transplant scan before we schedule you tomorrow”.

Mr Lee smiles and nods in acquiescence, watching quietly as Baekhyun goes to the motions of the procedure.

“Is everything okay Doc? I hope my husband will be eligible for a KT. We’ve been in the list for almost a year. No one in the family was a good match so we really had to wait.”

A small woman speaks softly from the side, hands resting gently on the patient’s leg.  
The small smile in Baekhyun’s lips fade when he spots another soulmark on her hand, golden.

She notices the stare and answers him with a small smile.

“We’ve both met our soulmates before but when we met each other..” she glances towards her husband, finding comfort as she grasps his leg gently by the foot of the bed “we fell in love.. so here we are now, forty years later and still very much in love..”

Baekhyun swallows the bile in his throat and shakes his head.

“I didn’t mean to pry Ma’am. So far so good. Final decision is still up to Dr Doh so just wait until he makes his rounds”

He starts backing up, signaling to the technician that he was done. He can feel the tears start to catch at the side of his eyes as he turns and almost hits Kyungsoo who was already quietly standing behind him for who knows how long.

With one last nod at the patient and his wife, he hurried out of the room before the first year drop falls, walking past Kyungsoo who he, for the first time purposely ignores.

—-

 

Byun Baekhyun was not the type to eat his feelings but sometimes, against his better judgement, he indulges. On his third cup of ice cream in the canteen, Kyungsoo sits across from him, subtly glancing at his wrist where the top of his mark peeks from underneath his watch strap.  
Neither speaks for a minute and predictably, Baekhyun cracks first.

“What can I do for you Dr Doh?”

Kyungsoo stares. (this close, he kind of looks like a small bird. An owl?).  He glances at the cups of decimated ice cream and back at Baekhyun. He stands up and leaves. Baekhyun thinks that was the end of that and goes back to stabbing the ice cream with his plastic spoon. A few minutes later, 4 different cups of ice cream were placed in front of him courtesy of Kyungsoo. Baekhyun looks suspiciously at him.

Kyungsoo looks visibly uncomfortable, tugging on the sleeves of his dress shirt.

“The strawberry is the best flavor.”

Baekhyun shrugs and grabs open one cup, silently offering one to Kyungsoo to eat. This was probably as much as an apology he was going to get. He sighs and reaches a hand across the table for a handshake.

“My name is Byun Baekhyun. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Kyungsoo’s features soften as he reaches to accept the proffered hand.

“I’m Doh Kyungsoo", he speaks softly. "The pleasure is mine.”

 

—

 


	2. and a preserving sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was NOT Dr Doh's personal radiologist, no matter what others say

 

 

 

 

“Dr Byun to OR please. Dr Byun to OR please.”

 

Baekhyun looks up from the monitor, confused. As far as he can recall, he was on deck for interventions today. 

 

The receptionist peeks in the room, waving a phone in her hand “Phone call from OR, Doc.”

 

“Yes, Dr Byun spea-.. No, I’m not on OR roll today. Did you tell him that? What do you mean he doesn’t care? Now??” he sighs, cradling the phone on one hand, and typing furiously with another to finish the patient report he left open on the screen.

 

“Okay, tell him to give me five minutes. My legs are short. Yes.”

 

Doh Kyungsoo and his tendency to strike fear in the hearts of the OR staff when he wants something. Usually him - his expertise, to be precise, he thinks. 

 

 

—

 

Upon entering the OR suite, the first thing Baekhyun notices was the circulating nurse’s shoulders sag with relief. 

 

_Did she just say thank god?_

 

Kyungsoo turned around from his place near the OR table and headed towards his direction.

 

“It’s Mr. Lee, the KT patient. Crea was fine until last night. Dr. Kim did the scan early this morning, there’s a thrombus in the MRV. I had to re-open. I fished out the throm and reperfused” Kyungsoo continued speaking, following Baekhyun as he downed the OR gown and gloves.

 

“Stockingette for the probe please.” He turns to one of the harried looking staff nurses before looking at Kyungsoo in the eye.

 

“You know I’m not on call right?” 

 

The lower half of Kyungsoo’s face is covered by a mask but Baekhyun can tell by the twitch of his eyebrows that he was slightly chastised but refused to comment on it.

 

With a sigh, he starts the scan. Spoiled surgeons indeed.

 

 

—

 

 

Baekhyun was washing his hands on the sink after unscrubbing. 

 

Kyungsoo approaches, looking warily at him.

 

Before Baekhyun can begin his tirade, his stomach growls loudly. Embarrassed with a flush staining his cheeks, he pokes Kyungsoo in the chest, hard.

 

“I’m not on OR call so I didn’t bother with breakfast since I figured I can eat later but well, here we are- Don’t laugh at me!”

 

Kyungsoo was biting his lip and nodding. He looked so harmless at that moment, Baekhyun couldn’t for the life of him tell why the staff was so afraid of this man.

 

Feeling the anger drain out of him, Baekhyun starts drying himself with one of the towels. He grabs the wrist band from his pocket and starts putting it on. He startles when he notices that Kyungsoo hasn’t left his side and was again side eyeing his left hand.

 

“I like Japanese food.” Kyungsoo suddenly blurts out.

 

Baekhyun gives him a puzzled look, “Well good for you then.” He was about to walk past Kyungsoo when another nurse gives him and apologetic look.

 

“Dr Byun, Dr Choi heard that you were here, so he was wondering if you could help him with something? At OR 3?”

 

Baekhyun pouts. With a sigh, he sullenly begins his trek towards the opposite OR suite.

 

—

 

Two hours and three kidney stones later, Baekhyun was ready to eat the first edible thing he sees. After changing his clothes, he was about to head out when he spots Kyungsoo waving at him from the lounge.

 

“I have food, Dr Byun.” 

 

Before his pride can even set in, his stomach makes another dying whale noise. Sighing, he takes a seat across from Kyungsoo.

 

“This better not be a bribe, Dr Doh.”

 

Kyungsoo shrugs and starts opening the various take-out boxes.

 

As Baekhyun starts systematically attacking the gyoza, Kyungsoo watches with a small smile.

 

 

—

 

 

This predictably starts a routine of Baekhyun getting dragged into the OR while not on call, complaining about it the entire time and Kyungsoo feeding him afterwards without any remorse whatsoever.

 

This has escalated from food ready in the lounge after the OR (“I knew it was premeditated, Dr Doh!”) to eating out in nearby cafes and ramen houses.

 

“Stop calling me Dr Byun. I think we’re well past that point now, since I’m spoiling you rotten, Kyungsoo-hyung.”

 

Kyungsoo pauses, chopsticks with ramyeon noodles halfway to his mouth.

 

Maybe his noodles are too spicy, Baekhyun thinks, as he observes Kyungsoo’s cheeks flush.

 

“Ah, just Kyungsoo is fine then, Baekhyun.”

 

“And don’t page me. Just call the office or have one of your assists text me. When word gets out that I’m in the OR, other surgeons call me in for other stuff.” 

 

“Ah..” Kyungsoo’s eyes were large, as he tried to digest what Baekhyun was trying to say.

 

“Not that I’m your personal Radiologist, but at least you give me food afterwards. So that’s points for you. But don’t get super used to it.” He ends this statement by slurping the rest of the soup and giving Kyungsoo a thumbs up.

 

—

 

 

Baekhyun felt the stare at the back of his head. It was kind of hard to ignore when the person concerned has been doing it on and off for the past 30 minutes.

 

He finally turns in his seat, eyeing his senior who was looking at him with amusement. “What is it Heechul-hyung?” 

 

“You look happier recently.” Heechul gives him a fond smile.

 

Heechul was responsible for his recruitment in the hospital. He was previously his chief resident in training years ago. When the latter heard that Baekhyun was headed to Europe for a fellowship, he offered him the job even before leaving the country.

 

The circumstances of his departure were not unknown to his hyung too, as he had been witness to the rise and fallout of what was Baekhyun’s “relationship” with his soulmate. 

 

“Well, the staff here are nice. And you’re here too.”

 

“And there’s Dr Doh too, right”, Heechul says teasingly, with an impish grin.

 

Baekhyun gives him a quizzical look and tugs on his right ear “He’s okay. Slavedriver but he buys me food so its a win-win situation”.

 

“Baekhyunnie,” Heechul speaks affectionately, lips twisting in amusement “Don’t you ever wonder why the OR usually asks for our own schedule before they schedule the surgeries for the week?”

 

Baekhyun tilts his head to the side before shaking his head.

 

“Ah, so cute!” Heechul tackles the younger with a hug and tickles him instead of answering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Erm do you guys have any idea who Baekhyunnie's soulmate is?
> 
> I haven't tagged him yet, but I will once I write him


	3. smoke raised with the fume of sighs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baekhyun likes to eat his feelings. He has a lot of them.

Baekhyun walks carefully, lest he accidentally drop the cups of coffee he was balancing. He finally finds vacant seats at the back of the lecture room when a booming voice calls out his name.

“Dr Byun!” greets Hyunwoo, the Chief resident of Urology with a 90 degree bow. He stops just in front of Baekhyun, a huge smile on his face.

“How can I help you?” Baekhyun smiles and internally laughs- Hyunwoo was not only tall, he was broad too and is usually the star of the staff nurses fantasies. He was however oblivious to this fact and is usually the victim of random errands by the matronly giggly nurses because of his sweet nature- errands that usually involve him flexing his arms or reaching overhead for items placed in “too high cabinets.”

“Here, uhm” Hyunwoo hands him a small pink box, “It’s for the DJ stent incident you helped me with last week-” 

Baekhyun takes it and continues to smile. Hyunwoo fidgets and scratches at the back of his neck as he continued to ramble-

“-you were a lifesaver, Sir and I asked the nurses and they told me you liked sweets so I got you this, it’s strawberry, they said it’s your favorite fruit and it’s really good. I like strawberries too and I got you the shortcake but their cheesecakes are also good. Do you like it? If you don’t I can get you something else. Or do you want to-

He suddenly stops talking and looks over Baekhyun’s shoulder. A look of horror passes over his face as he suddenly bows.

“Good morning Dr Doh.”

Baekhyun turns and almost knocks into Kyungsoo who unfortunately, despite being short, usually startles him because of his tendency to loom over his shoulder without making any noise whatsoever.

“For god’s sake, at least talk when you arrive so I’ll know you’re there”, Baekhyun rants and hands Kyungsoo one of the cups he was holding - “tall, hot, espresso, black as your mood intra-op”. Baekhyun turns back to Hyunwoo who smiles nervously. He bows one more time before walking away. 

“Thanks for this, Dr Son!” Baekhyun waves cheerily. 

Hyunwoo smiles back and scampers towards his laughing, blatantly staring consultant, Dr. Choi.

Baekhyun wonders what was so funny, but strikes it as another oddity of surgeons. He forgets that train of thought when he feels Kyungsoo’s hand on his lower back guiding him towards the row of vacant seats at the back.

“I didn’t know you knew Son.” Kyungsoo starts, eyes looking ahead.

Baekhyun shrugs “You remember the call I got last week when you introduced me to your brother so he wouldn’t think I was an ‘imaginary friend’ you made up so he’d stop worrying over you? The Uro service case with the broken stent?. That was his case.”

Kyungsoo hums and starts drinking his coffee.

An hour later, Kyungsoo has decimated the presenter for the audit which just happened to be Son Hyunwoo. The poor resident had to answer Kyungsoo’s questions every second sentence. It also doesn’t help that they failed to refer the patient to Onco before the surgery so there’s that.

That’s the most he has ever talked in an audit. Maybe he woke up at the wrong side of the bed today, Baekhyun thinks as he starts opening the pink box, his sweet tooth and non-existent EQ winning over his initial plan of eating the cake later.  
Kyungsoo looks over him and actually scowls when he sees Baekhyun eating a forkful of cake. Taking his scowl as envy because he was eating the cake alone, he smiles genially.

“I’d offer you a bite, Kyungsoo but there’s only one fork and I know you’re sensi-” Baekhyun does not get to finish his sentence as Kyungsoo grabs his fork, violently takes a good part of the cake and puts the entire thing in his mouth.

Baekhyun laughs softly and pats Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“It is good, Hyunwoo was right!” Baekhyun fails to see Kyungsoo’s glare as he was too busy cooing at the frosted strawberries on top. “We should go there and see what cakes they have! They might have tiramisu too, your favorite.” 

When Baekhyun looks up, Kyungsoo’s face has returned to its placid state. 

He stops asking questions during the presentation too.

Baekhyun chalks it up to the sweetness of the cake.

Choi Minho and Kang Seulgi who were watching the entire exchange on the row adjacent to them couldn’t stop laughing.

 

 

—  
“You’re very tall..” Baekhyun says as he looks up at the newest addition to their department.

Huang Zitao looks down at Baekhyun nervously.

“Don’t take it personally Dr Huang. Baekyun just doesn’t like tall people.” Heechul pats Baekhyun’s shoulder and looks at the smaller in the eye with a condescending smile. “So that’s like the entire male staff of this hospital.” 

Turning to Zitao, “Welcome to the department, Dr Huang. Can I call you Zitao?” 

“Just Tao is fine, Dr Kim.” As he reaches out for the latter for a handshake.

“Baekhyun here is going to take you he Director’s office for a short interview. Just formalities.” 

 

—

 

Baekhyun tries to entertain himself as he waits for his junior (finally, he has someone to share the scut work with) to finish being interviewed.

He happens to come across the Hospital Directory mounted on the opposite wall. After poking fun at his and Heechul’s photos (why they chose this graduation picture of him he’ll never understand), he tries to look for Kyungsoo’s to slander as well.

What he doesn’t expect is to finally realize why Doh Kyungsoo’s name sounded so familiar to him in the first place.

In the upper left corner, underneath Kyungsoo’s picture was his name written in both Hangul and romanized letters in black ink. 

Baekhyun doesn’t speak when Tao comes out of the office and as he escorts him back to the department. 

He calls in sick the next day.

 

 

—

The world is divided into those who had soulmates and those who had none. Only thirty percent had soulmates and are known as Marked, for marks with their soulmates names are tattooed on their body when the younger of the pair is born. 

These marks are in the same place for each pair. 

Gold for those who have met their soulmate.

Blue for those who haven’t.

And Black for those whose soulmate has passed on.

Baekhyun’s mark shows when he was five, signalling that he was the older half. Like most children born to soulmate pairs, he was ecstatic with the thought that there was someone who was made perfectly for him.

He meets his soulmate ten years later.

 

—

Kyungsoo was looking up at Tao who was setting up the ultrasound machine.

Despite only his eyes being seen, the surgeon’s irritation was noticeable.

“You’re not Baekhyun.”

Tao swallows thickly and remembers his senior Heechul’s endorsement regarding Transplant cases. “Don’t take any, let Baekhyun do it, unless he’s dying. Or out of town.”

So this was why, he thinks to himself. Great. This was his first official day too.

“He’s sick Dr Doh. He left early yesterday and didn’t come in today.”

Kyungsoo nods at him and starts removing his gloves. 

As Tao starts scanning, he can see Kyungsoo in his peripheral vision, distracted and rapidly typing on his phone.

Thank god for small victories. At least with the surgeon being distracted there was a lesser chance of him lashing out.

 

—

When Tao comes back to the office, he chances upon Heechul laughing loudly by himself. Upon seeing him, his senior slaps him quite loudly in the back.

“Tao, did you tell Doh from transplant that Baekhyun is sick?”

“He was so scary hyung! Wait how did you find out?” Tao looks at Heechul in confusion.

“He came down here after your OR and made me give him Baekhyunnie’s address!” Heechul cackles and drags Tao to the door.

“Come on, Hyung will treat you for a job well done!” 

Tao doesn’t quite understand why saying the truth would even constitute a job well done but he just shrugs. Free food is free.

 

—

Baekhyun has just finished a pint of ice cream and currently waiting for the popcorn in the microwave to finish popping.

Life really sucked for him, but this was a new low blow. 

Rather than facing his problems head on, he chose to stay at home with his tried-and-tested solution when confronted with problems beyond his control. That is, eat his misery away.

What was he going to do?

“And now we have EXO, here to promote their-”, Baekyun swiftly changes the tv channel, almost dropping the remote in his haste.

When it rains, it sure does pour.

The doorbell starts ringing. Baekhyun rises up from his nest on the living floor to get the door thinking it was the delivery boy with his pizza.

Only it’s not. It’s the person he’s trying to avoid in his short statured glory.

Kyungsoo doesn’t even wait to be ushered in and walks past Baekhyun.  
One hand was holding on to a paper bag, while the other was quickly on Baekhyun’s forehead before sliding to his cheek.

Baekhyun flushes.

Kyungsoo nods to himself and pats Baekhyun’s head, “You feel warm. You should have called me when you got sick. I remember you telling me you live alone and you can’t cook. How are you going to survive?”

Baekhyun pouts and discreetly tries to tidy up his mess of comforters and pillows in the living room floor.

“I’m fine. I lived alone in Germany too, you know. I’ll survive. Like a bug. Like MRSA. I always have.” Baekhyun grunts, picking up cartons of takeout from the night before.

Kyungsoo follows him into the kitchen. He starts taking out food from his paper bag and sets it in the dining table. 

Baekhyun watches him quietly. After knowing Kyungsoo for several months, he can pick up some of his cues. This is one of them, busying his hands while he pieces together what he wants to say.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t.” Kyungsoo starts softly, eyes not rising up from the steaming bone soup. “Just you shouldn’t have to do it by yourself. You can rely on others sometimes”. Kyungsoo finally looks up to meet Baekhyun’s eyes and there was something in his stare that Baekhyun didn’t quite understand.

“Eat up while it’s still warm.”

Baekhyun sits and motions for Kyungsoo to sit as well. He keeps his head down, fingernails digging crescents on his palms as he struggled with what to say next.

“Kyungsoo. Is your soulmate mark on your chest? On the left?”

Kyungsoo gives him a questioning look.

“Did it turn black around.. say 8 years ago?”

Kyungsoo nods, eyes wide. 

“And your mark. The name. It’s Kim isn’t it. Kim Jongin. That’s what it says. Because I finally remember where I saw your name. It just didn’t click at first.”

Baekhyun’s hands shake as they move from his lap to the table. He finally meets Kyungsoo’s eyes.

“I met your soulmate 8 years ago, in the ER when I was an intern.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Erm yup. Kyungja and Baekhyunnie aren't soulmates.  
> Also I write short chapters because I usually write this on my way home from work. On my phone. In the train. Haha.


	4. a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the past finally catches up

“It was a five car pile-up.” Baekhyun starts, hands still trembling, eyes downcast, “I got him in the ER, broken ribs, punctured lungs. He was a dancer and he was on his way to an audition that day. The driver on his side had a heart attack and swerved. The rest were all DOA. He was the only one who made it out.”

Baekhyun’s eyes start tearing up and he jabs the heel of his hand against his cheek, face in agony “He was still talking when I got him. I told him he might make it to his audition if he behaves.. 10 minutes later he gets tension pneumothorax and deteriorates. He was my first mortality.”

Kyungsoo reaches across the table to wipe his tears with a handkerchief, still silent, watching him carefully. Baekhyun still wont meet his eyes but accepts the attempt of consolation.

“He was your soulmate. And now he’s gone. I couldn’t face you when I realised that. I just.”- Baekhyun sobs uncontrollably, shoulders shaking with every breath.

Kyungsoo sighs, moves to the chair beside Baekhyun, and tugs him towards his chest. As Baekhyun continues to cry, Kyungsoo hums softly, hands moving across the younger’s back.

“Were you sad for me? Was that why you didn’t want to see me?” Kyungsoo starts softly, one hand moving to stroke the back of Baekhyun’s head. Baekhyun nods, further burying his face against his chest.

“My parents are both unmarked..” Kyungsoo continues “They were unmarked but they’re happy together. My brother’s wife is not his soulmate either and they love each other too. So much its actually nauseating sometimes” he cups Baekhyun’s cheek and tilts up his face.

“Yes it’s sad that I never met my soulmate. But do you think I would never find anyone else to love?” Kyungsoo strokes Baekhyun’s cheek before poking it with his index finger.

Baekhyun blushes and shakes his head.

Kyungsoo smiles, and pinches Baekhyun’s cheeks with both hands.

“I believe love is a choice, Baekhyunee. One we’re all free to make. So please don’t cry anymore.”

“I- “ Baekhyun starts when the doorbell starts ringing.

Finally back to his senses, he startles and moves backward outside of Kyungsoo’s arms. 

“I’m so sorry for slobbering over you! And oh my God I got your shirt dirty. I’ll get you something to wear- and the door! That’s probably my pizza-” Baekhyun continues talking as he scurries outside the kitchen to open the door.

He stops midway and turns to look at Kyungsoo again, face still wet with tears, but eyes clearer than before “How come you’ve never asked me about my soulmate Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo looks at him and gives him a knowing look “Are you ready to talk about it?”

Baekhyun looks up and scrunches his eyebrows “Not yet.”

Kyungsoo smiles at him fondly “When you’re ready to tell me about it. I can wait.”

Baekhyun doesn’t understand why his heart rate increased as he turned towards the door again. He chalks it up to sympathetic cardiac reflexes from all the crying he did.

 

 

-

 

Two hours later, Kyungsoo is wearing one of Baekhyun’s sweaters. It clashes horribly with his slacks and leather shoes but both are too busy demolishing the boxes of pizza Baekhyun ordered and watching a rerun of a superhero movie.

“I haven’t seen the latest Thor movie..” Kyungsoo looks at Baekhyun expectantly.

Baekhyun gives him a look and laughs “Honestly, if you want something, you know you can ask right? You’re not very obvious with what you want and not everyone can figure it out by context clues and looking at you, Kyungsoo.” 

Kyungsoo, scary consultant extraordinaire actually pouts.

“Fine”, Baekhyun stands and heads towards his room “I’ll just change my clothes and we’ll go.”

Too far away, Baekhyun thinks he hears Kyungsoo reply but couldn’t make it out. 

A few feet away Kyungsoo slumps against the sofa and looks at the ceiling “what I want, then?”.

His phone rings and his train of thought derails.

 

—

 

“Hello I’m Dr Huang, I’ll be doing a quick scan of your abdomen, Ms. Park.” Zitao smiles politely at his last patient of the day at the ER.

The nurses were still whispering among themselves. When he arrived at the ER, they were all trying to get in charge of his patient. Apparently, she was a newscaster from a big news company. Tao surreptitiously checks her face and though she was obviously in pain, she was definitely pretty.

He was almost done with the scan when the curtain was suddenly pulled to the side. A tall man with spiky hair came up to stand beside the bed, taking the patient’s hand into one his own.

“I’m Park Chanyeol, her brother. How is she?” Chanyeol looks worriedly at Yoora’s pale face.

“Her abdominal pain is because of appendicitis. It’s when-” 

“Oh she’s going to need surgery? Oh sorry for interrupting you, Doc. My s- best friend is a doctor too. He’s a Radio too.” Chanyeol looks deep in thought. His left hand reaches up to stroke Yoora’s hair and his sleeve rolls down, exposing a covered wrist.

“Would you like me to call him to endorse your sister?” Tao smiles politely. 

“He’s currently in Europe for training so maybe not. He’s been there for two years now, I think?” despite the worry etched in his face, Tao thinks that he was good looking too, a splitting image of his sister.

“Then I’ll endorse your sister to the nurse and the ER Doc.” Tao nods to both of them and heads back to the station.

Several nurses were giggling behind the counter.

“He’s really here!!!”

“He’s so handsomeee!! Do you think he’ll mind if we take a photo?”

All of them stop when they see Tao who hands them back the chart.

“Tell Dr Liu its ap. She has to refer to surgery. By the way, quick question.. Why are all of you huddled here and gossiping?” Tao waggles his eyebrow and the nurses laugh.

“The guy who came in?”- one of the nurses subtly point at Chanyeol -“he’s Park Chanyeol, the rapper from EXO, the famous boy group”.

“Oh. All right then, mystery solved. Tell Dr Liu okay?” Tao reminds them as he walks out of the ER. That was his last case of the day.

 

 

\---

 

Ten minutes later, Dr Liu asks them for the on call list of surgery consultants.

“It’s supposed to be Dr Lee but he’s out of town.” the nurse in charge replies, “his cover is Dr Doh, from transplant.”

Dr Liu nods and calls Kyungsoo.

“Hello, Dr Doh? I have a referral…..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh I'm so late with this


End file.
